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TRICARE Doula Coverage Bill Proposed

TRICARE Doula Coverage

TRICARE Doula Coverage

A bill calling for the Secretary of Defense to provide additional resources, including the services of doulas, for pregnant beneficiaries in the Tricare program, was introduced in Congress this May. The sponsors for this bill, Senators Kiersten Gillibrand (New York) and Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) propose that the additional support would actually help to cut heath care costs by improving maternal health.

What Is a Doula?

Doulas are professionally trained in childbirth to provide physical, educational, and emotional support to mothers in pregnancy, during labor, and postpartum. Their specific services vary greatly, however, because they are shaped according to the individual needs of the mother or couple they work with.There are different types of doulas, but their primary purpose is the same—doing whatever you need, within reason, to help you be the parent you want to be.

Common Doula Services at Different Stages of Pregnancy

Birth Doulas

Postnatal Doulas

Why Should Military Moms Have Access to Doulas Covered?

These possible, even probable, inconsistencies of support and care could be eased by having access to a doula.

Operation Special Delivery

Operation Special Delivery is a national non-profit organization founded after 9/11 initially to support expecting mothers whose spouses were deployed, injured, or who had died in the line of duty. They have built a network of professional doulas who offer their services to qualifying military families for a set fee of $500.

Qualifications:

You can find a participating doula in your area by submitting your information on the Operation Special Delivery website.

 

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